Take a Chance on Me - Chapter 3 Author's note: Well, I have no idea how this turned into such an angst- fest for Jack. I had all of these grand schemes to make this a pleasant little romp to give Jonas a love life. I suppose the muses had something else in mind. Poor things, they get blamed for everything. Thanks to everyone for all of the great reviews. BTW, I should mention that the "Whatever stirs your coffee" from chapter 1 is quoted from Michael Shanks. I was wondering if anyone would pick up on that ;-)
Jack stormed across the street to the park, dragging Jonas behind him. It wasn't much of a park, really; just a patch of grass with a couple memorials to local heroes and a trio of benches. He dropped Jonas on a bench and started pacing, clenching and unclenching his fists as he did so.
Jonas watched him. He wasn't quite sure how to take this side of Jack O'Neill. He'd seen the colonel angry before, and he had certainly been tetchy around him since he had come to stay at the SGC. This, however, was different. He couldn't figure out why the colonel was so angry. Certainly, he hadn't done anything. His anger seemed to be focused entirely on Rayne. He wondered why. She had said that she hadn't done anything to him. It was apparent that they seemed to know each other though, or at least who each other was. "I wonder what he meant when he said that he had never seen her before. How could the colonel know who she was if he had never seen her?" The common surname threw him for a loop too. If they were related, it might account for some of his questions, but he had never heard anything about any of Colonel O'Neill's relatives, except perhaps for the ones who were gone.
As for Jack, he was trying to pull himself together. Dammit! He had faced gods and monsters that hadn't filled him with so much terror. He wasn't about to let a little girl that he had never met get under his skin like this. He had to calm down. He breathed in and out slowly, pushing all of his emotions behind a mask of military disinterest.
Jack watched as Rayne walked out of the shop, slung her backpack over her shoulders, looking for him. Spotting him, she walked to the corner to cross the street. He hadn't even looked before he had crossed. He realized that she was certainly calmer than he was. He vaguely wondered if she had planned this little meeting.
She crossed the street and approached him, her hands fiddling with the straps on her bag. She figured that the possibility of running into Jack greatly increased when she moved here. She hadn't realized that he would be able to recognize her so easily. Flirting with one of Jack's friends certainly wasn't in the plan either.
It was when Rayne and the colonel stood face to face that Jonas realized why she had looked familiar. Their profiles were strikingly similar. Rayne had the same straight nose and high cheekbones that composed the colonel's face. There was no denying there was a familial bond. He was curious to find out what that bond was.
Rayne didn't want to be the first to speak. She knew that she was missing parts of the story, but she hadn't quite expected Jack's public outburst. What she had always associated with him most was his reputation for being calm in the face of anything. He hadn't even cried at the funeral. Or so she had heard.
Rayne flinched. She hadn't meant to think about Charlie; Not now, not here. She tried to push him from her mind. It was always in impossible task.
Jack didn't want to speak first, but he had been the one to drag her out here. He should have just left. He was on his way out the door. How had this happened? "Where's Emily?"
Rayne hadn't expected that question. She gawked at him. Once she recovered, she replied: "At home, I would imagine." She paused before she continued, "I'm 26 years old, Jack. I don't need to drag my mommy around with me everywhere I go. I've been living in Colorado for a year just fine without her."
Now it was Jack's turn to gawk. How had she gotten so old? Had it really been so long since Charlie. but he didn't want to think about Charlie now. How could he? But then again, how couldn't he? She looked so much like him. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here. I'm a student at the university."
"All the schools in the world, and you decided here was the place to go?"
"I wanted to get in touch with my American roots," Rayne answered petulantly. "Actually the Boulder campus is where I planned to go - 100 miles away from here; the university had other plans."
"Surely there was another school that you could go to. Bachelor's degrees are a dime a dozen."
Rayne clenched her jaw, fighting anger. I'm working on my doctorate, Jack. I earned my Bachelor's four years ago. And for the record, I went to the American University in London. Is that far enough away for you?"
Jack was surprised at that. Where had she inherited smart genes? Must have been from her mother. That old bag. "She approved of you coming here?"
"Do I really have to reiterate the fact that I am 26 years old? She doesn't have a say in what I do anymore."
Jack smirked. "Wasn't very happy with that I bet."
"Cut me off completely. That old bag."
Jack stared at her. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or proud or angry. "That's a heck of a way to talk about your mother."
"I'm just quoting what I heard from her fan club." Rayne looked at Jack, a grin pulling at her lips.
By this point Jonas was thoroughly confused. He wasn't any closer to figuring out how these two were related.
"Jack, I have a class to teach in twenty minutes. I have to go." Rayne said miserably. "Do you think that maybe we could, umm, you know."
"What are you doing for dinner?"
"Nothing, but I have class until six."
"Good. You can come to my house." Jack started checking his pockets. "I'll just write down the address."
Rayne flushed. "I, uh, I know where it is." She paused at Jack's look of surprise. "Umm - Reconnaissance?"
"Ahh, I see. After six then. Have a good class."
Jonas jumped up to stand next to the colonel. They watched as she turned to go.
She paused and turned back to look at them, a sudden urge coming over her and she realized that she was actually quite pissed off at Jack. It was the only thing that would explain what she did next. "Goodbye, Jack. Bye Jonas." She said slyly. Before anyone realized what was happening, herself included, Rayne grabbed the front of Jonas' shirt and placed a hard kiss on Jonas' lips. Her eyes widening at her brazenness, she turned and ran.
The two men stood watching her until she had rounded the corner to the University. They stood in silence for a few minutes. Jack turned to a decidedly dazed-looking Jonas and said smugly, "But you still didn't get her number."
Jonas grinned. "Don't worry. I'll get it at your house later. It's your turn to buy pizza, remember." Jack opened and closed his mouth in what looked like a pretty good fish impression. "Come on, Colonel, let's go get Sam's gift."
